Dictionary

guru en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɡʊɹuː/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɡəˈɹu/ (US)
• /ɡʊˈɹuː/ (UK)
• /ˈɡʊɹ(ˌ)u/ (US)
• /ˈɡu(ˌ)ɹu/ (US)
• (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio
• /ˈɡuːɹuː/ (UK)

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed etymology based on the Advayataraka Upanishad (line 16) describes the syllables gu as “darkness” and ru as “destroyer”, thus ascribing the meaning of “one who destroys/dispels darkness” to the word.

Meanings

1. In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.
   • The Baiga magicians derive from the old guru who succeeded Nanga Baiga. There is very great confusion about the original guru, and how he was actually related to Nanga Baiga, but there is general agreement that there were originally four great Baiga guru—Daugun, Nindhan, Danantar and Madhakawar, all four brothers. 1939, Verrier Elwin, “The Magician and His Control of the Natural World”, in The Baiga, London: John Murray, […], section II (The Magician’s Heritage), page 342:
   • Many of the deities and beliefs recorded by the guru are in fact unknown to the common people, and some represent the esoteric knowledge of only a few guru. 1994, Simon Rae, “Kiniteken Si Pemena: The Original Belief”, in Breath Becomes the Wind: Old and New in Karo Religion, Dunedin: University of Otago Press, →ISBN, part I (The Karo World), page 19:
   • Traditionally, a guru is a spiritual teacher who guides a student on the road to Enlightenment, or finding God. 2010 May 10, “Madonna is my guru”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Sep 2022:
   • These guru, third, were responsible for insuring that the populace would not be tempted to support heterodox world renouncers and their counter-patrimonial ideas. In contrast to the pre-classical Brahmin scholars, who serviced only their own and certain ruler and elite religion-social interests, the guru were the patronal guides of the masses, offering prebendal control of the deities through charismatic but morally expounded magic and psychological compensation as personal confessors, in return for popular willingness to conform to the dharmic rules, as interpreted by guru to be sure. 1989, Norman Jacobs, “The Classical Indian Society”, in Patrimonial Interpretation of Indian Society: Contemporary Structure and Historical Foundations, Delhi: Chanakya Publications, →ISBN, page 66:
   • When the gooroo arrives at the house of a disciple, the whole family prostrate themselves at his feet, and the spiritual guide puts his right foot on the heads of the prostrate family. 1817, William Ward, History, Literature and Religion of the Hindoos, volume II:
2. (India) Any general teacher (as a term of respect).
3. (humorous, sometimes) An influential advisor or mentor.
   • Many oenophiles rely on the ratings and recommendations of wine guru Robert Parker when selecting the perfect bottle. 2004 October 18, “Vintage technology”, in Time:
4. (derogatory) A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.
   • OPCA gurus are modern legal alchemists. They promise gold, but their methods are principally intended to impress the gullible, or those who wish to use this drivel to abuse the court system. Any lack of legal success by the OPCA litigant is, of course, portrayed as a consequence of the customer’s failure to properly understand and apply the guru's special knowledge. 2012, John D. Rooke (Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta), “Meads v. Meads, 2012 ABQB 571”, in CanLII:

Forms

Deriveds

antiguru · guruji · guruship · guruism · gurulike · guruhood · gurudom · tech guru

Relateds

adi-guru · gurukul · Bhaiṣajyaguru · Waheguru · Gurmukhi · gurdwara · Guru Granth Sahib · satguru

Translations (90)

pt guru (advisor or mentor) · cmn 導師 /导师 (spiritual teacher) · pa ਗੁਰੂ (spiritual teacher) · ja 教祖 (spiritual teacher) · te విశారదుడు (spiritual teacher) · fi guru (advisor or mentor) · ka გურუ (spiritual teacher) · fr gourou (spiritual teacher) · th คุรุ (spiritual teacher) · sa गुरू (advisor or mentor) · es gurú (spiritual teacher) · km គ្រូ (spiritual teacher) · it guru (spiritual teacher) · de Guru (spiritual teacher) · bn মুর্শিদ (spiritual teacher) · af ghoeroe (spiritual teacher) · id guru (spiritual teacher) · ml ഗുരു (spiritual teacher) · cmn 大師 /大师 (spiritual teacher) · ca guru (advisor or mentor) · lo ຄູ (spiritual teacher) · tl guro (advisor or mentor) · sip གུ་རུ (spiritual teacher) · eo guruo (spiritual teacher) · fa گورو (spiritual teacher) · ar جُورُو (spiritual teacher) · ru наста́вник (advisor or mentor) · ml ഗുരു (advisor or mentor) · de Guru (advisor or mentor) · ta குரு (spiritual teacher) · ko 구루 (spiritual teacher) · ar غُورُو (spiritual teacher) · hy գուրու (spiritual teacher) · ca guru (spiritual teacher) · pa ਗੁਰੂ (advisor or mentor) · es gurú (advisor or mentor) · mk гу́ру (spiritual teacher) · kn ಗುರು (spiritual teacher) · ru гу́ру (spiritual teacher) · pi guru (spiritual teacher) · fi guru (spiritual teacher) · sa गुरू (spiritual teacher) · hu guru (advisor or mentor) · ur گرو (spiritual teacher) · or ଗୁରୁ (spiritual teacher) · te గురువు (spiritual teacher) · mr गुरू (spiritual teacher) · mn гүрү (spiritual teacher) · ne गुरु (spiritual teacher) · my ဂုရု (spiritual teacher) · cs guru (spiritual teacher) · bg духо́вен учи́тел (spiritual teacher) · ms guru (spiritual teacher) · sk guru (spiritual teacher) · mk гу́ру (advisor or mentor) · pt guru (spiritual teacher) · hi गुरु (spiritual teacher) · th ครู (spiritual teacher) · hi गुरु (advisor or mentor) · cmn 導師 /导师 (advisor or mentor) · fr guru (advisor or mentor) · lo ຄຸຣຸ (spiritual teacher) · ko 지도자 (spiritual teacher) · la gurus (spiritual teacher) · el γκουρού (spiritual teacher) · hu guru (spiritual teacher) · km គរុ (spiritual teacher) · pl uczyciel (advisor or mentor) · bn গুরু (spiritual teacher) · ru духо́вный учи́тель (spiritual teacher) · pl guru (advisor or mentor) · gu ગુરુ (spiritual teacher) · nl goeroe (advisor or mentor) · pl guru (spiritual teacher) · bn মুর্শিদ (advisor or mentor) · cmn 古魯 /古鲁 (spiritual teacher) · fr guru (spiritual teacher) · sh guru (advisor or mentor) · sh guru (spiritual teacher) · fr gourou (advisor or mentor) · ja グル (spiritual teacher) · el γκουρού (advisor or mentor) · ru учи́тель (advisor or mentor) · te కోవిదుడు (spiritual teacher) · nl goeroe (spiritual teacher) · bg гу́ру (spiritual teacher) · pl nastawnik (advisor or mentor) · cmn 上師 /上师 (spiritual teacher) · ar مُعَلِّم رُوحِيّ (spiritual teacher) · as গুৰু (spiritual teacher)

guru en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈɡʊɹuː/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɡəˈɹu/ (US)
• /ɡʊˈɹuː/ (UK)
• /ˈɡʊɹ(ˌ)u/ (US)
• /ˈɡu(ˌ)ɹu/ (US)
• (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio
• /ˈɡuːɹuː/ (UK)

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed etymology based on the Advayataraka Upanishad (line 16) describes the syllables gu as “darkness” and ru as “destroyer”, thus ascribing the meaning of “one who destroys/dispels darkness” to the word.

Meanings

1. To act as a guru; to give wise advice

Forms